June 08, 2014

If it's today here, is it tomorrow there? (As I type this... yes, it is.)

If that's the case, I'm already late. Jane! Did you mean the 9th here? Or the 9th there?

Can I split the difference? It's 1:38 Sunday afternoon here - the time, not the temperature - and it's 6:38 Monday morning there. So here goes...

Do you know Jane?

Jane Davidson - Brisbane, Australia. QuiltJane.QuiltJane.QuiltJane. (Those are links to where you can find her... she gets around... in a good way, of course.)

I "met" Jane through the American Patchwork quilt-along earlier this year. I loved - okay, still do - her quilt.

Photo shamelessly "lifted" from QuiltJane.

I follow - sounds better than stalk - Jane on Instagram because she makes and quilts all sorts of gorgeousness. It just sort of flows out of her - in a counter-clockwise sort of manner because that's how it works "down under". The end of April, Jane made a beautiful quilt that she called a Nested Churn Dash.

Ditto. See above photo reference.

Genius. She "nested" four Churn Dash blocks to make a large 24" x 24" block using lots of Bonnie & Camille fabric. A girlie-quilt for Jane. (If you don't have the pattern yet, you can find it here. It's $2.00 for the PDF download.)

I figured a girlie-quilt for Carrie should follow. And because lots of other quilty-types figured they needed nests too, a quilt-along was suggested, organized and has commenced. So in my usual fashion, I invited myself to the party. Hi everyone!

It's official! I'm in!

For now... it's entirely possible I might be asked to leave. One block, that's all anybody had to make - a mini-quilt. But even before I arrived, I realized that there might be a problem... that I wasn't going to be following the "dress code". I wanted a big quilt. Okay, I wanted both. So that's what I did - I made both. There's just one problem right now, my "mini" isn't quilted. Or bound. (I see an update coming soon.) So I invited myself... didn't arrive on time... didn't follow instructions... and then didn't finish.

I don't get out much.

It's going to be a pillow - after it's quilted. My big quilt is with the quilter now.

This is what I did. The first thing was to decide on fabric - that was harder than I expected. First, I love Jane's quilt. And I have some of that fabric... and could certainly get more if needed. But I have a compulsive need to do something differently. That's especially true for sew-alongs. Not because I think I can do it better - as if?!? - but because half the fun is seeing how different two "like" things can be. After considering all sorts of options - those already in my possession and those still at a quilt shop - I came across a stack of fat quarters of Botanique by Joel Dewberry. I'd bought them who-remembers-when because I loved the colors - especially the navy and coral - and the big prints.

Image found on Pinterest - there wasn't a link so I'm not sure who took this picture.

I decided to put these prints with a solid White background so that the colors would "pop" and the finished quilt would have a clean, fresh, summer-y kind of look to it. I also decided to mix the colorways and the values, using each print at least once. Oh, and I decided to use a single fabric for "each" Churn Dash - the half-triangle squares and rails would match.

So I picked ten prints - 9 blocks for my quilt and 1 for my "mini" - and cut a 2" x 21" strip. That was enough to make the pieces I'd need for the block centers - the 4" blocks. I also cut a 1 1/2" x 21" strip and set that aside for the border - more on that in a bit.

I tried to mix the colors and values but I think it's obvious I really liked the navy prints. When it came to pressing, I pressed the seams toward the "rail" part of the block - away from the center square and half-triangle squares. But when I joined the three rows to complete the block, I pressed those seams open. For whatever reason, my blocks just layed better that way.

I then picked ten different prints for the second round and made the parts.

Nesting. Finally. I tried to mix values and prints - light with dark or medium, and tonal-ish with big-and-bold.

One piecing note - I have a teeny tiny issue with seam allowance. As in, I'm a teeny tiny bit off... so my blocks are always just a tiny bit smaller than they should be. (Sort of like some clothes...) It can be a big problem for a block like this if you don't measure. It's also a hugely simple thing to fix - cut the side rail pieces to the size of your block! In my case, the side rail pieces were cut a sliver less than 4 1/2" - but more than 4 3/8". About 4 7/16". And remember to do that at every step - every nest.

Like this. I made the parts and then started putting the parts with a block. I loved some of the combinations... others... not so much. But I also didn't worry about it because the next round was going to completely change the way it looked again.

When my blocks were done, I layed them out.

I had two reasons for doing this. The first is obvious - so I'd know how I wanted to arrange the blocks. The second reason is so that I would know where to sew my little connector corners for my cornerstones.

Serendipity. That little Churn Dash is the same size as the one in the center of the block. It isn't a separate block - the pieces are sewn to the adjacent blocks and sashing strips. I used the same 2 1/2" cut / 2" finished sashing strips that Jane includes in her instructions but I added to it - and adjusted the length of the sashing strips accordingly. It's easily done - really. I wrote it all down.

Because I wanted a quilt that would fit nicely on a queen-sized bed, I figured I'd want my quilt to be at least 86" so I added borders. In addition to the 2" finished sashing strips, I added 2" finished strips on the outside edge - sashing or inner borders - to make my quilt 80" x 80", not including seam allowance. Then I added one more Churn Dash. Four half-triangle squares - 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" - for the corners and pieced "rails" for the sides.

Remember those 1 1/2" x 21" strips I cut from each fabric? Using those and a few more from my leftovers, I cut the strips in half to measure 1 1/2" x approximately 10 1/2". I pieced those using a straight seam to make a really really really long strip. I cut lengths approximately 86" long and then pieced two strips together - off-setting the seams - to make a pieced strip measuring 2 1/2" wide by approximately 84" long. The off-set gobbles up a few inches. I pressed all of these seams open.

I made four of them. I also cut 8 strips from my white background - 2 1/2" x 42" wof. Those were pieced - on the diagonal - to make background strips that were cut to the same length as my pieced strips. They can be cut to the size of the quilt but I wanted to piece first - trim second. The pieced strips were then joined to the white background strips to make a border strip measuring 4 1/2" wide by approximately 84" long. I pressed that seam open too. The four strips were cut to the size of my quilt top. The corner half-triangle squares were attached to two of the borders and badda bing badda boom... one last nest.

I debated whether to put the border right up against the blocks, nesting them as they are in the blocks. But because the blocks weren't next to each other in the body of the quilt, I decided I liked the continuity of each block being surrounded by the white background. My quilt finishes at 88 1/2" x 88 1/2"... okay, it's a skosh smaller than that. I didn't measure it but I was shaving off just a bit less than an 1/8" by the time I got to the sashing. (Proof that even a teeny tiny little difference in seam allowance adds up pretty quickly.)

Thread! Jane wants to know what kind of thread we like and use - Aurifil, anyone? I started using Aurifil when it first started showing up in quilt shops more than 10 years ago, and it was one of the first things I shopped for when I started going to Market.

There was a noticeable difference between Aurifil and the thread I had used before - how fine it was, how well it "nested" into the fabric, and how much less lint there was in my sewing machine when I cleaned it. Several years ago, I started using cones of thread and "strayed" from Aurifil because "other" threads were easier to find. But a query to a distributor - "how come you don't carry Aurifil cones" - changed that. I now have cones of my three go-to Aurifil colors on hand at all times. They are - 2021 - White / 2324 - Beige-tan / 2600 - Gray - and they are all 50 wt. Cotton Mako. Those are the three I use for piecing - I find they work for 99% of what I'm piecing.

For the Nested Churn Dash, I used 2324 for most of the quilt... mostly because that was in the machine when I started. I had plenty of wound bobbins and I was itching to start sewing. But I did switch to white when it came time to assemble the quilt, especially joining two white strips for the borders. Two white strips sewn together with a diagonal seam, seams pressed open... shadowing can sometimes happen. So I switch.

As for keeping lots of other colors on hand... I tend to stitch with basic colors too, also in the 50 wt. The same white, gray and beige-tan work for most of my binding, the occasional applique project, and any other hand-stitching - if I'm using gray thread and my stitches aren't showing, I'm not going to worry about having red thread for a red binding. And since I don't do much machine quilting, I buy the colors I need when I need them. Because that pretty jar of thread... at this point, it's mostly that. Decorative. Alas, even the very best thread doesn't "keep" for more than a couple years.

So here's what else you need to know:

If you'd like to quilt-along with Jane, she did a terrific blog post about fabrics, sizes and everything else you might need or want to know about making this quilt. You can find that here.

If you'd like to see pictures of what other folks are making, you can find those on Flickr at The Want It, Need It Quilt Gallery. I love this one. If you make a block or a quilt and post your picture to this Flickr pool, you could win a prize at the end of the month.

If you're on Instagram, you can find more Nested Churn Dash pictures at #nestedchurndash.

And if you want to know even more about Nested Churn Dash blocks and quilts, machine quilting these blocks with Aurifil thread, hanging minis and who knows what else, you're going to have a busy week. Places to go and people to see - blog-style.

Regular check-ins with Jane are also advised because (1) you know she's also working on other amazing stuff, and (2) she knows everything you'd ever want to know about making a Nesting Churn Dash quilt.

Monday - June 23rd - Making a quilt using the Nested Churn Dash block.

Monday - June 30th - Finishing the quilt.

Tuesday - July 1st - Winners will be selected and announced from the Flickr group.

May 27, 2014

Can you believe I forgot how much was involved with going to Quilt Market?

Three years. It seems like such a short period of time but it's amazing what you can forget in 156 weeks... 1,095 days. Okay, it might not have been exactly that long but you get the idea.

It was still a long time and so I was a little nervous about going to Market. Not "bad" nervous or really anxious, just the normal kind of "big event" nervousness. Will I know anybody? Has it all changed? Am I going to remember everything I need to get done?

Yes. A bit. No - but I remembered enough.

As always, it was crazy busy hectic exciting interesting exhausting entertaining informative and a whole lot of fun. I saw "old friends" and met lots of new people, some that I've gotten to know through the amazing online quilting community. I got to see all sorts of new and exciting fabrics that I can't wait to play with - linen, chambray, and yarn-dyes to name a few. I've already sewn with all of those but there are more colors coming... it's all just like candy.

Will you forgive me for being so absent if I tell you that I brought 31 new projects to Spring Market in Pittsburgh? Yes, that's right. 31. Thirty-one. Three-one. Okay, so 23 of them were small - Little Bites - but I'd forgotten how much else there was to do. Like where had I put the drapes for the booth? (That's the downside of cleaning out the garage and getting organized... I can't find anything!) How was I going to hang everything?

More importantly - where was everything going to fit... how was it all going to fit?

Booth sort-of-in-a-bag. Or a couple of boxes. I have concrete floors at home so it seemed kind of fitting to have those in my booth. (And the last time I rented a carpet from the convention center folks, it was $100.00 for three days and it. was. not. pretty. Not even close.)

True confessions. I regularly have pangs of "booth-envy" when I see wonderfully decorated, perfectly-thought-out booths with hard walls, lovely seating and clever displays and vignettes. In a perfect world, Pottery Barn would decorate - and furnish - my booth. Even if it's just for three days. But that's always the hang-up for me - it's so short-term. And as you can see, I didn't have much space to spare. Okay. None. And no, I don't want a bigger booth.

Can you see the windows / skylights in the upper right corner? It's one of the reasons why I love going to Pittsburgh for Quilt Market - I love this convention center. (I also love the city of Pittsburgh - it's prettier than I would ever have guessed and the people are very, very nice.)

So what's all that in my little home-away-from-home?

The quilts in the left corner are Sugarboo and Double Dutch. Double Dutch is on the bottom, it's a new Schnibble that will be published in another month. I'll show you that soon - it measures 68" x 68". There's another new Schnibble on the table, it's called Harvey. Big rabbit - big basket. Sugarboo is the one on top, it's a big quilt pattern that will be finished in about two weeks. (Yeah, yeah... I really ran out of time.)

This is Crop Circles, another big quilt pattern that will be ready soon. It was made with 32 Fat Eighths and a couple of Fat Quarters of April Showers by Bonnie & Camille. (I used several of their collections for quilts this Spring... it's all that gorgeous color.)

This is Seven Letters - the "vintage" version. I liked this so much, I made it twice. It measures 73" x 73" and it's made almost entirely with strip-piecing. There are 2,401 pieces in the quilt and while I do like sewing little squares together... it would take F.O.R.E.V.E.R. to make this quilt that way. I really would have run out of time! In addition to strip-piecing, if you follow the pressing instructions - and really, why wouldn't you? - every seam in the quilt will abut. I love it when a plan comes together like that.

See - I told you I was in love with the gorgeous colors in Bonnie and Camille's fabric! This is Seven Letters - the "happy" version.

So why didn't I finish all the patterns for the new quilts yet? Because I got side-tracked with little quilts... more accurately, with the new Little Bites patterns.

There are eight new patterns that encompass 23 different designs. Seven of the patterns have three versions / variations, and one has just two. That one - Sample - is a little sampler quilt with eighteen different blocks. Straight setting. Diagonal setting. And I was running out of time.

I wasn't sure how I would hang these in my booth at Market but it worked out pretty well...

The remaining nine quilts were on the table, finished as pillows and hanging from the wire baskets. (No really, I don't want a bigger booth.)

I'll have more pictures soon - I promise. Now that I'm getting caught up with everything, there are new things coming up. I'm going to be doing some "fun" sewing this summer... I think I've gotten myself committed to three different sew-alongs. And then I've got to get busy with quilts for a book - that's back on the schedule - and for Fall Market.

And lest I forget...

As much as I liked going to Market, this was the face that greeted me when I got home.

Not to worry, she was very well taken-care of while I was in Pittsburgh. My best-brother-ever brother came to Phoenix to keep her company. He likes to tell me how spoiled she is but given how fat and sassy she was when I got home, I think he spoils her too.

So that's it for now.

The Little Bites patterns are available in the shop and because I've been so slow with everything, they're on sale through June 1st. Enter Code - Market20 - for 20% off the new Little Bites.

April 07, 2014

The longer version is that on March 8th, I packed up my car with a sewing machine, a couple of projects, some clothes, my laptop and Rosie, and I drove to Houston so that I could harass my brother onto the road to recovery from hip-replacement surgery.

Rosie was really excited.

(Okay, in the interest of full disclosure, I took this picture on the drive home. She was one tired puppy. And yes, I put a quilt on the backseat to keep her happy and comfortable.)

Because of doctors, rules and regulations, various suddenly required test, it wasn't a definite "go" until Friday afternoon. I had hope to leave Saturday but I just couldn't get it all done in time to go so I left Sunday morning instead. I pulled into my brother's driveway a little after noon on Monday and managed to get unpacked and settled before his early Tuesday morning surgery.

Mark's surgery went spectacularly well and he's doing great. "Back to normal", so to speak... only without the hip pain, the limp and all the pesky related issues that come with having a worn-out hip. He came home Friday morning and after realizing that he was telling everyone what to do and how to do it, he remarked that he was "back to his old self".

And I couldn't be happier.

Even with Market looming, there was never any question that I would go and do whatever he needed. It's not because I'm a "saint" - though my brother did actually say I was... I have a witness! - but because he's my brother. Just as it was with my Mom, he's my priority and everything else will always take a backseat. I know that most of you understand perfectly, that you have and would make the same decision for your family. Besides, it was a lot of fun and I really did enjoy spending almost three weeks with my brother. He's a hoot.

(When we were in school, the district office designed "gifted" programs and classes just for him... but he just discovered Netflix. A Breaking Bad marathon has commenced.)

Since he was doing so well, I did get some sewing done.

I pieced all thirty-six blocks for a big quilt and I made five small Little Bites quilts.

This is one of them - it's made with Vintage Happy by Lori Holt for Riley Blake.

If you don't have this fabric... I'm not sure we can be friends. I'm kidding! Mostly. It's pretty wonderful.

And this...

Denyse Schmidt's Ansonia with the new Mochi Linen by Moda - in Natural. I love this fabric! It's easy to sew with and it washes up beautifully. I was curious so I threw a small piece in the wash. It's a cotton/linen blend - 70/30 - and while it's a little bit "thicker" than the regular quilting cotton, it didn't affect my seam allowance. I'll be using more of this soon.

I drove home on Friday, March 28th, and while I didn't intend to drive all the way through, there's something psychological about "gaining" two hours. Oh, and if you've ever been on I-10 in West Texas and New Mexico, you know that the speed limit most of the way is 80 mph. I made very good time.

Since getting home, life has been kind of busy. I've gotten a little bit of sewing done with more scheduled this week. Between writing patterns, packing orders and finishing up projects, I won't be getting out much.

But that can wait until after Market... when it will be too hot to go anywhere.

Actually, it's supposed to be 90 tomorrow... and 95 degrees by Thursday.

March 05, 2014

I should know better than to "ass-ume" something without double-checking. I checked to make sure all my 60-degree rulers were the same but I didn't think to check that Tri-ruler.

Big mistake.

Huge.

And I'm sorry that I've led you astray.

If I tell you that I have a solution, will you forgive me?

This will work using any regular ruler - a 6" x 12", 6" x 24", or a square ruler - with 60-degree lines on it. When I first wrote the pattern, I wasn't sure how it would be lined up consistently. But necessity meant I had to figure something else out so I went looking for another solution... and I found one. And as luck would have it, it's one that's pretty easily done.

Just so you know, most of the 60-degree triangle rulers have a flat tip at the top. That means that they aren't automatically interchangeable with simply cutting 60-degree triangles using the lines on a regular ruler. That flat tip at the top changes the finished "height" of the triangle by 1/4". Been there, learned that... the hard way.

But let me get back to Hook... as luck would have it, the measurement of the base of my triangles is exactly 4". Whew.

This is what you need to do...

Make a strip set according to the pattern - yes, this one is a little shorter.

Press the seams open. Shave/trim the top and bottom edges straight. Start with the background rectangle on the left side.

Align the 2" line of a ruler on the seam as shown. Use a marking pen to mark the 2" points on both sides of the seam line - the lines will be at 0" and 4".

This shows four (4) marks - these are the marks for 2 triangles. The two marks in the 2nd background piece are approximately 1/8" apart. The first mark - the one on the left side - is for the first triangle, the second mark is for the second triangle. With your strip sets, you'll make three sets of marks - six total - on the first side of the strip set. Then you'll make two sets of marks - four total - on the second side of the strip set.

Align the 60-degree line on the top edge of the strip set and cut from the first mark to the seam line.

Note: The 60-degree lines on your ruler will likely be in a different place than they are on my ruler so don't worry if your alignment looks different. As long as the angle is 60-degrees, this works.

Align the 60-degree line on the bottom edge of the strip set and cut from the second mark to the seam line. Repeat to cut two more triangles.

You didn't believe me that this would work, did you? Don't worry about the tip at the top - you can trim that later.

As before, mark the points 2" on either side of the seam line.

Serendipity. There will be enough remaining on the other side to provide you with a straight edge to align the ruler. As before, align the 60-degree line with the top edge of the strip and cut from the mark to the seam line. Repeat to cut the other side by aligning the 60-degree line with the bottom edge.

The triangle cut from the leftover pieces is the same - use the ruler to mark points 2" on either side of the seam line.

And trim the sixth triangle using the 60-degree lines.

For the alternating triangles - background or a different fabric - there are two ways to do this.

If you haven't already cut the strips for the setting triangles and pieces... Cut those strips at 3 1/2" wide. Then just cut triangles using the 60" line going tip to tip - there won't be a flat tip.

But if you've already cut your strips...

Measure 4" from the cut/clean corner edge of the fabric. Using the 60-degree line of the ruler, cut from the mark to the top of the strip. Then go back and cut the opposite side from the cut/clean corner of the strip. That will yield a 60-degree triangle the same size as the pieced-triangles cut above - except that it will have a flat tip.

Voila! Repeat on the top edge - measure 4" from the angled tip of the fabric. Align the ruler on the 60-degree line and cut from the 4" mark to the bottom edge of the fabric. It will make sense as you start cutting - you'll see.

Voila... Part Deux. This is a background triangle on top of a pieced triangle I cut above. Nope, don't worry about cutting that tip. You'll do it eventually - probably - cut it isn't necessary yet.

And there you have it.

I know you can do this. As always, if I can do it, so can you. Really. I don't have any magic powers or crazy-mad-skillz. As if!?

Really. I've made it twice! I should know. Actually, I've made it three times but I really didn't like the uber-scrappy version I tried to make... it didn't work for me at all. There was just way way too much going on... though, come to think of it, that's how my life was at the time so I'm sure there was some kind of cosmic connection.

After Sinta picked Hook for the March Schnibble, it occurred to me that I really ought to pass along some of the tips I shared with my class at Olde World last month. Sadly, some twit didn't think to save the demo pieces I made for class... Rosie's never been very good at anticipating that sort of thing.

Here's the first thing you need to know... it's a Schnibble thing. For most of the quilts I've done as Schnibbles, the first, last and most important thing to keep in mind is that there could very well be an easier way to cut out the quilt. But not if you're starting with charm squares that measure 5" x 5". From the very first quilt, what interested and challenged me with these quilts came down to a single question - what could I make using no more than 84 charm squares and a little bit of additional yardage? Some of the quilts have a very efficient use of fabric while others... well, not so much. Factor in that I like to trim pieces to size - something I know I have in common with many quilters - and there are some decisions I make that often require more explanation than I have room for in the pattern.

With Hook, the six 60-degree triangles used to make the block are pieced. There are two ways to do that - cut the pieces individually, assemble the triangles and hope that they're pretty accurate and bear some resemblance to a good 60-degree triangle. It works... but if there's a way to piece first and trim after, that's the way I prefer to do it.

On a side note, there are those "in the industry" who regard such methods as a "crutch". We should all be able to piece the units perfectly. Every. Single. Time.

Whatever.

Just as I wouldn't deny someone with a broken leg the use of a crutch, I think it's silly to chastise someone for using a tool or technique that lets them get those results a little more easily. So there. ;)

That explains the odd sort of strip set you're going to piece.

The reason the background pieces are a different size than the print pieces is two-fold - it gives you a skosh more room to trim and the print pieces were as big as I could cut them using charm squares.

There are three things to keep in mind with piecing these strip sets. First, one strip set will yield six (6) triangles, enough for one block. For the quilts I made, I used three triangles each of two different prints. Second, if you're using a single background for all the blocks, you don't have to piece the strip sets using three matching print pieces. As long as you use three rectangles of each print, you'll wind up with the necessary number of triangles.

Third, seam allowance is important. Technically, it isn't because you won't be relying on it for a measurement. But if your seam allowance gets too big, you'll have less room to trim and you'll start having issues with seams in the lower right corner. So keep your seam allowance to a scant 1/4" and you're good to go.

Oh and yes, press the seams open. Open. Open. Open.

After you piece the rectangle, I recommend that you clean up the top and bottom edges. They just need a little "shave" to make sure they're perfectly straight and even - if you trim too much - even an 1/8" - will put a little more seam in the corners of the triangle.

When that's done, you're ready to start cutting out the triangles.

Rulers or templates. A 60-degree triangle ruler is recommended because it's easier. I have and like the Creative Grid ruler but any 60-degree triangle ruler will work. The Marti Michel ruler comes in two sizes, either one will work. There are also other brands so as long as the ruler says 60-degree Triangle, it should work. If the ruler doesn't have a line for 3 1/4", use a piece of tape to mark one halfway between 3" and 3 1/2".

Correction: The Tri part of the Tri-Recs ruler will not work, the angle isn't 60-degrees.

By the way, a few weeks ago, when I was working on something else, I wanted to mark some lines on my ruler. I couldn't find the Glo-Line tape - 3 colors and I couldn't find any of them! - but I did come across a roll of pretty washi tape so I decided to use that instead. I loved it! It's pretty. It's relatively transparent. It works! (If you're not familiar with Washi Tape, it's a decorative paper tape that is easily found at scrapbook and hobby stores. It's relatively inexpensive... unless you become obsessed with all the colors, patterns and designs.)

You must - MUST - start with the background rectangle on the left side. If you don't, you're going to need more rectangles because the position of background and print will be wrong. It's as simple as that.

Like this.

Using a rotary cutter, trim the triangle as shown. While you can cut a little past the tip of the ruler, don't trim too far past it.

As you trim, your triangle will include a tiny bit of the seam in the bottom right corner of the triangle. Don't worry, I'll address that in a moment.

I found it easier to trim the three triangles on the bottom first before turning the strip set around. And no, don't trim the sides off yet - see the next picture.

You'll trim two more triangles from the remaining side for a total of 5 triangles. All five (5) triangles will match when it comes to the position of the background and print halves of the triangle.

You'll be left with this.

Trim the two side triangles as shown. You'll have to piece them to get your sixth triangle. Scant 1/4" seam allowance... press the seam open... trim the bottom edge straight.

Then FOCUS and trim the sixth triangle. (I'm sorry about the blur... I move fast.)

Any corners that have a seam in them, I just trimmed them right on the stitching line to remove the seam and the extra layer of fabric. So long as its just a tiny little nick like this, you're good to go because it's well within the seam allowance.

And there are your six triangles - matching or not.

I'm sorry for not making a second strip set so that I could do alternating triangles but the upside is that this is another option. I rather like the spinners this way too.

A couple of things to keep in mind as you are assembling the "block" from here:

Every seam joining two triangles will have one piece with a long print edge and one piece with the seam in the center. If you're matching seams or there are two plain edges... stop!

The triangles should match each other perfectly making it easy to match them up. (I love that part.)

The scant 1/4" seam allowance should start and stop in any "v" that is there, or on the corner of the flat tip. It will make sense when you see it.

This is the easy part - piece two pairs of triangles exactly the same way. Piece only two pairs. Whether you're using one print as shown or two, piece them the same way. Trust me on this - been there, done this. Scant 1/4" seam allowance - press the seams open.

Then add the two remaining triangles - matching or different - to the sides to finish the block as shown.

If you're using two different prints... If the three triangles in the top half are aligned Red - Green - Red, the triangles in the bottom half need to be Green - Red - Green. I promise.

Lining the triangles up at this point is still easily done. It's because you trimmed the triangles after they were pieced... they're perfect. (Crutch... schmutch.) (And yes, I've been known to utter the words "I told you so" once or twice in my life.)

Scant 1/4" seam allowance - press the seam open.

That little triangle on the right... trim it off. But don't trim off any other little points - not yet.

Two halves.

I chose to piece the quilt top using vertical half-rows. The blocks aren't completed until I join the two adjacent rows together because it made the setting pieces on the alternating rows easier to assemble. But, yes, the blocks could be joined at this point and the quilt top assembled in the same manner as an "I Spy" quilt with setting triangles sewn to two opposing sides. Though... if you wanted to make half-blocks for the top and bottom of the alternating rows, that would be kind of a cool variation.

Because of the way I pieced the quilt top, I recommend not trimming off any of the little triangles sticking out until after you've sewn that seam. Porquoi? Because it makes a terrific guideline for matching points and pieces. You'll still want to check the junctions with a pin but the little triangle is an excellent starting point - as in, it was dead-on or very close to it for all of my seams. So as soon as the little point is in a seam, remove it. You don't need any more fabric in those seams than necessary.

When it comes to assembling the rows, there is some bulk at the centers of the block and those places where three triangle points come together. It won't be the easiest seam you've ever stitched but if you've pressed all the seams open and trimmed off the unnecessary little triangles, it shouldn't be the toughest either.

One last thing to mention, this block can be made using different backgrounds. Here's how it could be done: Cut three rectangles of each print. Cut three rectangles of each background. Piece each strip set using three matching background rectangles, two matching A-print rectangles and one B-print rectangle. That will yield three matching A-print triangles and two matching B-print triangles. Piece all of the strip sets required to make the quilt top and trim the triangles. Then, when you join the two "leftover triangles for the sixth triangle, pair the leftover background triangle with the leftover B-print triangle to make the 3rd triangle required. Trust me. It will work - and it will make sense when you do it.

(Just so you know, it used to make my Mom nuts when she'd hear me say "trust me" to folks. I think she only remembered the times I'd said that to my sweet brother as I led him into some ill-advised "adventure".)

If you have any questions about Hook, please don't hesitate to ask. I've always believed that when it comes to patterns, I led you into this "adventure" so it's my job to make sure it doesn't turn out to be an ill-advised one.

Okay, a second last thing to mention... if you would like to use a different fabric for your alternating triangles, setting pieces and borders, you'll need 3/4 yard of background and 1 yard of "alternating" fabric.

I'm off for now. I've got some more little quilts to finish so they can go for photography this week.

February 26, 2014

Do you remember me? It's been awhile... certainly longer than I expected.

Thank you for the sweet e-mails and concern - I appreciate it. Really. Rosie and I both do. We're both fine though I seem to be having some issues with allergies this year, worse than years past. I went to dinner the other night with a friend and by the end of the evening, my right eye was tearing, stinging and I couldn't open it. Do you know how hard it is to drive at night with one eye while texting a friend? Sheesh. (And yes, I'm kidding about that texting part.)

Life is good - just busy. I've been sewing a lot and getting some quilts done for a couple of new Little Bites patterns.

Yep. Flying Geese from mini charm squares. I've come to realize that the primary appeal for me with these little quilts will always be the puzzle aspect of it - what can I make using 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" squares?

The quilt above is made using squares I cut from the Florence collection by Denyse Schmidt. The background is Ruby by Bonnie & Camille and the alternating squares are that awesome yarn-dyed Essex Linen in Black by Kaufman.

More "mini" geese - these are from the Daydream collection by Kate Spain.

Yes, these will both be in an upcoming pattern. A friend asked me the other day about showing pictures of things I'm working on and I will tell you what I told her - if I don't show you what I'm working on now, I won't have anything to tell you about. Some folks think its a risk - that someone might copy what I'm doing - but I've decided not to worry about that. I'm going to do a "Scarlett O'Hara" and worry about it tomorrow - as in, if and when that happens. And I think I've mentioned before that the whole "I can't show you what I'm working on" thing makes me nuts.

In between spurts of sewing, I have been continuing to get the garage in order. I'll take a picture of it soon - as soon as the boxes are cleared. Boxes? After getting everything that had been moved from the garage into the house last November back into the garage, I finally got the "business" storage unit cleaned out last week. It seems a little odd - and even a little un-American - not to have a storage unit any more. It also feels really, really good. Though I am still having compulsive and spontaneous "I must clean out that closet right now" moments.

Rosie just plays while I do that.

As much as I love her sweet face, there's just something about Rosie's feet that always makes me laugh. It's like she's pointing her toes. Silly girl.

Did I tell you about a recent trip to Goodwill? I had spent a few hours clearing out some closets and bins... of fabric. I loaded everything into the car for a trip to Goodwill. It was mostly "novelty" fabric, especially some Christmas and holiday fabric. I drove up to the donation door and was a tad annoyed that there was a minivan already parked there, driven by a woman who appeared to be re-considering every item she had intended to donate. She was sorting through every box and bin in the back of her vehicle. I was tired of waiting - not an isolated occurrence - so I decided to start hauling my boxes up to the donation door instead of waiting to pull up. It turns out she was donating fabric. When she saw my boxes of fabric, she started sorting through my boxes with lots of ooohs and aaahs. Let it suffice to say that she quickly unloaded her boxes from the minivan, and after asking permission, began loading my boxes into her vehicle.

This was the Hook quilt I made for the class at Olde World Quilt Shoppe a few weeks ago. Assorted Reproduction prints, a background from Vin du Jour and a reddish-brown Primitive Homespun from Diamond Textiles for the alternating triangles.

This is one of the variations in a new Little Bite pattern coming soon. The fabric is the gorgeous Ladies' Album collection by Barbara Brackman for Moda, an old background from Blackbird Designs, and a Rustic Homespun from Diamond Textiles for the sashing.

I have to confess that all of these pictures have popped up on Instagram in the past couple of weeks. Because many of my sewing days are passed while texting with a couple of friends, I have my cellphone handy... meaning it's easy to take a quick picture and post it there. (If you're on Instagram - I'm CarrieRosieAZ.)

One last picture...

Yes, there are some big quilts coming. This one is titled Spin-o-Rama - a technical hockey term - and it's made with April Showers. Backing fabric is on the way and it will be off for quilting next week.

I promise to try to check back in more frequently - I have to show you the finished American Patchwork Tone-It-Down quilt. It's been quilted and mostly bound... yes, that means, the binding is on and partially sewn down.

January 17, 2014

It's a condition common to hobbyists of every sort but it seems to be especially prevalent in quilters. The condition is caused by being visually over-stimulated - Instagram, Pinterest, quilt magazines, etc. - and it is cured by being granted 67 hours in a day, 12-day weeks and 73 day months. A full-time chef, housekeeper and nanny can also cure the problem.

Sadly. I have none of those things so what I do have is several projects in the works right now.

I was out of town last week, in California to meet up with my brother and scatter my Mom's ashes. It was a nice trip - for the sort of trip that it was. I loved spending time with my brother, maybe that's what these kinds of trips are supposed to be. Yes, Rosie came with...

Rosie and I drove from Phoenix to San Luis Obispo, then up the coast on Highway 1 - the Cabrillo Highway - to Monterey.

As many times as I've been on this highway, I've never tired of it. It's always the same - spectacular. Breathtaking.

After a nice trip where everything went well, I came home and tried to get back into some kind of a work schedule. After posting some pictures on Instragram of things I've been working on, I was asked how many things I had going. The answer is probably "too many" but I can explain. First I should say that I've usually only got two or three projects in the works at any one time. And no, I don't include "quilts that need a binding" in that grouping as it would dramatically swell the number.

Let it suffice to say that I often have one or two in the planning - getting fabric pulled and prepped stage - while another quilt is being pieced. I have a hard time with working on too many at the same time because... well... I'm usually not working with a pattern that's written down on paper yet. It gets very confusing if I'm working on too many things at once... my little brain cells just don't work like they used to.

So this my current list of WIPs...

1. Wrens and Friends. I've made a whole big bunch of HTSs and now it's time to piece the rest of the block. These parts will be laid out and then more piecing is required. I used the Wrens collection by Gina Martin and a white Bella solid - starched and pressed. This is eventually going to be a new Little Bites quilt. It's the first of two versions of the pattern.

2. These fabrics are being cut into 2" wide strips for the "happy" version of a new quilt. I've already made the more traditional version of the quilt but I really wanted a brighter version of it too so I'm using the "leftovers" from my Scrappy Trips quilt. Starching and pressing 120 fabrics is taking F.O.R.E.V.E.R. The good news is that when the strips are cut, the quilt goes together pretty quickly.

3. This is my Project 48 adventure - I'm using Daiwabo prints and wovens to make a really scrappy version of Thimbleblossoms' Zipper quilt. It's all cut out - I'll take a picture so you can see more of the fabrics when I start sewing rows.

4. This is my "never-ending" project. By the time the quilt is done, I will have made over 1700 HTS. There are going to be 210 blocks and I have 170 of them made. The HTS for the remaining 40 blocks are waiting to be trimmed. Once those are done, I'll lay out the blocks and start sewing them together... and then I'll make the 30 or so 1/2-blocks to finish the quilt. That'll be another 120 HTSs or so. Yep... can't wait for that. I doubt this will be a pattern as it's a pretty basic, simple block.

5. This one has just started... I've pressed a couple of fat quarters and started cutting squares for some HTSs. I wanted to see how the fabrics - Clover Sunshine by Alison Glass - looked with my background - it's the Linen Texture Background in Stone from the Bluebird Park collection by Kate & Birdie. This is going to be a big quilt. I had the blocks all figured out but I wasn't sure how I wanted to set the blocks. I keep coming back to my first idea so I think I'm going to make my blocks and see what happens.

6. Squared. Using assorted Jo Morton fabrics. This is the sample for the Rosie Club thing I do at Olde World Quilt Shoppe. I made the sample on Wednesday, class is on Saturday. Nope. I'm definitely not a procrastinator, I have lots and lots of time to spare.

7. This is a project that I started last year. The blocks are done and now I'm in the process of making a big pile of quarter-triangle-squares. 288 of them. Seriously, what twit came up with that idea? No comment.

8. My American Patchwork Tone-It-Down quilt. It's been quilted and the binding has been attached. Now all I have to do is stitch it down. I'll start on that this weekend. But since this is binding, it doesn't really count.

So, yes, I have a few too many "in the works" right now but that's okay. I rather like it when I have choices about what to work on. And yes, I'll let you know how everything is progressing.

January 14, 2014

I've gotten all sorts of e-mails asking me for a little more information on how many squares I made, what yardage I used - and how much of it I used, how did I know which blocks were in the video and so on.

Here's the whole story... a week or so after Thanksgiving, after all the fun we'd had making the Round and Round quilts, Cupcake and I decided that we needed to do something equally entertaining over the Christmas holiday. Patterns were suggested and rejected, and then Cupcake mentioned Camille's video - 25 Half-Square Triangle Blocks.

Bingo! A plan started to emerge. I knew I had some April Showers on the way from Sample Spree and we both had Moda Bella Solid White No. 97 on hand. As soon as fabric arrived, we both started making HTSs. I finished the HTS before Christmas and started posting some pictures on Instagram showing what I was doing, and then showing finished blocks.

I sewed on Christmas Day and finished my quilt that evening. Cupcake finished hers a few days later - she had houseguests for the holiday. She was much better about blogging about her quilt than I was. I know, you're shocked.

Now for the specifics of the quilts Cupcake has dubbed "Shower Shuffle". It was going to be that or "The Camille Shuffle".

Our finished quilts measure 75 1/2" x 75 1/2". That's four rows of four blocks each in a straight setting separated by sashing strips. The blocks finish at 15" x 15". The sashing strips finish at 3" and the border now measures 3 1/4" wide. After quilting, trimming and binding, it will finish at about 3" wide.

Just so you know, we thought about making all 25 blocks but that sort of went against the "finish this in a couple of days" plan. Sixteen big blocks was perfect.

To make 16 blocks, you'll need a minimum of 256 HTSs - 16 HTS for each block. That's 128 print squares and 128 background squares. We decided to make a few extras - 280 HTSs - so we'd have a little room to play and some options. So we both started with 140 print squares and 140 background squares.

We both watched the video until we had memorized every single word, twitch and hand gesture. Okay, so Camille doesn't say anything. I still watched the video more than once. Porquoi? Because I wanted a "cheat sheet" of the blocks in the video and I had to watch the video to get screenshots. Fortunately, Camille has made it much, much easier for everyone - she created a printable download of the blocks. (If you haven't already seen it... or just want to take another look at her wonderfully cute boys and her gorgeous APQ quilt-along quilt.)

Blocks. We cut our squares to measure 5" x 5" for two reasons. First, some of the fabric came in the form of charm squares so they were already cut. Second, both of us like to trim our HTSs down to size. Technically, the squares could have been cut at 4 3/4" x 4 3/4" and still left a little room to trim but really, cutting them at 5" x 5" was probably easier. The amount of extra yardage required - 1/4" per strip multiplied by 16 or 18 - amounted to less than 1/4 yard and we were both fine with that.

Yardage. The prints are easy - 128 or 140 squares measuring 5" x 5". That would be 3 1/2 charm packs or 1 Layer Cake would be perfect. Fat Eighths aren't the best option because cutting a 5" strip - or even a 4 3/4" strip - won't leave enough to cut a second strip. Unless you want to use that for something else. Fat Quarters will work - 3 strips plus a bit of leftover... enough for a scrappy binding.

Background - 4 1/4 yards is plenty for 128 squares / 4 1/2 yards for 140 squares. It breaks down this way: 2 1/4 or 2 1/2 for the squares for the blocks, 1 yard for the sashing and 1 yard for the borders... actually, 7/8 yard but I like rounding up for something like this.

Backing - Depending on the width of your fabric, you'll need 5 yards or 6 1/2 yards. If you didn't mind piecing the extra strip with four pieces, you could piece a backing big enough with 5 3/4 yards.

I hope that helps... and if you decide to give it a whirl, either with HTSs you make specifically for the project or serendipitously find in your sewing room, I also hope you have as much fun making this quilt as I did.

And yes, plans are already in the works for some kind of post-Market quilt-along.

I'd start now but my "business manager" tells me absolutely not.

Still... something else might be in the works.

I have all these red, yellow and gray charm squares that need to be used...

January 10, 2014

This isn't about what quilt is coming next... though there are a few of those on the "drawing board".

This is about 2014. Like so many people, this time of year lends itself to thinking about the year that was, and especially about the year that's ahead.

I don't really make New Year's Resolutions, I prefer to think of it as finding a focus for the coming year. I like to keep it simple - I'm easily distracted.

So when I saw this sentiment somewhere online - Instagram? Pinterest? - I had to write it down. It was exactly what I was feeling.

I don't really know what it all means for me in the coming year but this has been noodling its way through my head for the past week.

The "simplify" has already started - I'm cleaning, organizing and down-sizing my "stuff". It has been scary and liberating and cluttery and entertaining. From fabric to books, kitchen towels to clothing... if it doesn't "fit" me, out it goes. Fit being a literal and figurative term - as in, I'm pretty sure I don't need those boots with the 4" heels.

I am making plans to go to Spring Market in Pittsburgh and I have this Pat Sloan Aurifil Block of the Month thing to work on. And there's the Quilts 'n More Scrap Lab projects, more of those are coming too. I think this all falls into the "work hard" part.

As for the rest, I'll let you know how that goes.

It's only January 10th. I have a little bit of time to figure it all out.

January 08, 2014

I saw something on Instagram about the ladies at American Patchwork doing something called "Project 48". Because I'm a naturally curious - as opposed to nosey - sort, I investigated.

I could find Passion 48... okay, that sounded very interesting. Forty-eight hours of passion? Is Sting involved in this somehow? No, but it was what I was looking for, that was the original title. Though can I just say that in their effort to really confuse me, the URL calls it Project 48.

Whatever it's called, here's the gist of it - For one hour each work week, "we" all work on a project of our choosing. "We" get four weeks off in case of vacation, sickness, or just being too busy.

That's not the royal "we", it's the "we" that means Carrie's invited herself to join the ladies at APQ on their neat little idea.

I've had this fabric for years and years... Daiwabo Taupes.

I love these fabrics. I have seven packs of Fat Eighths, 8 pieces in each pack. Each pack has a combination of printed fabrics and textural wovens.

The hitch for me has always been trying to figure out what to make with them. I knew I wanted something relatively simple, something that wouldn't detract from the gorgeousness of the fabric. A "charm" sort of quilt was what I had in mind.

Something like this...

So this is my "Project 48" quilt to start the year.

I am going to commit to working on it one hour a week until it's done. I'm including my "prep" time at the start - I'm going to starch the fabrics before I cut them.

The biggest challenge is seeing if I can make this without changing something... well, other than making it completely scrappy. Since I'm cutting strips from a Fat Eighth... I may cut my strips a skosh wider...